Pin Box Bike Rack Source

Thanks SailongOn for the information. Also, a little dirt after a 6000 mile trip is a badge of honor:)

I have a 6.5' bed. From the back of my cab to the closest face of the front cap is 44". Determining in advance what will hit first in an overtight turn with the bikes mounted is tricky, and depends on where the receiver is mounted, the design of the rack, size of the bikes, shape of the cab etc. I held the bike carrier up on the pin and guessed how it would turn out.

I put the receiver as far back on the pin box as I could while still having clearance between the front cap and the upright part of the bike carrier.

The 6" receiver I got from Harbor Freight. The angle irons were welded on by a local shop. I bolted it onto the top of the pin box.

A little dirty after a 6000 mile trip, but works great.

SalingOn, do you have more pics you could share than just the one in your signature? Without the bikes on the front, what is the distance between the front cap and rear of your cab? Thanks!

I can't see the 4 1/2 holes weakening the pin box. Most will bolt into the top, and that has less stress than the sides. I even cut a 4" hole in the bottom to reach the front nuts. After 2 years it showed now signs of failure. I plated the hole over with 1/8" plate and #8 screws.

Fire19 wrote:
Does the drilling of 4 holes in you pin box weaken it at all ? I have a 2002 Gulfstream Seahawk 32' fifth wheel and do not know the manufacture of the Pin Box but it is a Venture Frame.

I am confident where I drilled my holes I did not weaken it at all.

Does the drilling of 4 holes in you pin box weaken it at all ? I have a 2002 Gulfstream Seahawk 32' fifth wheel and do not know the manufacture of the Pin Box but it is a Venture Frame.

cbari wrote:
I'll have to let Ron (Cummins12V98) respond to that - I was posting info he sent to me by email - he had trouble getting the pictures on the forum.

cbari

cbari

Thanks for posting my pic's that I can't figure out how to do!

The Swagman XTC-2 shipped to me from E trailer.com was $192.60.

The set of 5 Master Lock padlocks was around 20- $25. I use two on my B&W hitch and 3 on the bike rack.

The hitch was all basic mild steel stock sizes. Metal, bolts amd paint cost aroud $20.

To load and unload I leave my tailgate down and leave a bit of space between the tailgate and the carrier to have room to lift and lower the bikes. To make it faster I have the wife bring the bikes to the tailgate when loading and remove them when unloading. By my self I just get up and down one bike at a time.

The rack really holds the biles in place well.

Keep checking the knobs thay tighten the tire saddles to the carrier. They continued to tighten more as time went on. Now they seem to stay tight.

Really with the complete setup. The bikes just sit there going down the road. Nice to be able to keep an eye on them traveling down the road.

I'll have to let Ron (Cummins12V98) respond to that - I was posting info he sent to me by email - he had trouble getting the pictures on the forum.

cbari

cbari wrote:
I bought Masterlocks keyed alike for the bikes and my hitch. It was a fun project, I may have $20 in parts and paint. Feel free to copy if you want.

Any questions just ask.

Ron"

That looks like a real nice set up. But $20.00 in parts is a bit misleading. What do you estimate the total retail value of your set up is. Including cost of bike rack. I imagine it is a bit more that $20.00.

Posting pictures for Cummins12V98: pin box bike rack receiver for TrailAir

"In the third pic it looks like the device I made is not at a right angle to the top of the pin box but it is.

The top and sides are 1/4" X 3.5" flat bar the receiver tube is 2" X 2" square tube 1/4" wall. The back piece is 1/4" X 2" bar. The bolts are 1/2" grade 8 1 1/4" long. I ground down the two bolts closest to the air bag on each side so the bolt was the same length as the nut for clearance. The vertical dimension of the side PC along the front edge is 6 3/4". The top, sides and back are all separate pieces. I welded the outer corners and then ground a radius on the outer two edges.

I did have to cut off the end of the part that goes into the receiver. This is because the depth is only 3.25". The reason I did not use 4" or wider bar is because I still need to be able to get to the air fill valve for the air bag fill.

I bought Masterlocks keyed alike for the bikes and my hitch. It was a fun project, I may have $20 in parts and paint. Feel free to copy if you want.

Any questions just ask.

Ron"